07 May 2017

My Brother's Keeper

He was a big man...6'2" and probably about 220 lbs.He had been my hoochmate in Viet Nam and we got along well there.When I got home and found him searching for a place to live I bought a place and asked if he'd like to room with me."Sure!"

He was loud, brash, and unpredictable.When he didn't come home Friday night I chalked it up to the probability he'd found someone he liked and chose to stay with them.When he didn't come home Saturday night and hadn't called to let me know, I was mildly concerned.By 2200 hours Sunday night, facing a normal workday Monday, I considered calling the police, then changed my mind.

Monday afternoon I came home from work to find his lemon yellow '69 Corvette parked in our drive.I unlocked the door and entered the living room to find him watching TV with half his head wrapped in gauze and bandages."What the heck happened to you?!"

"I had a serious discussion with a guy at 'The Monster'. I didn't think much of it when he left on his own. When I left the bar he jumped me with a claw hammer and nearly took my left ear off."And he wasn't kidding. The ear was hanging by a small strip of tissue and required serious expertise to reattach. The hospital kept him for a while because of the possibility of serious concussion.

Two 22-yr old single guys... prowling most weekend nights. Our unwritten rules were sort of- "you do what you do and I'll do what I do, so long as we don't foul one another's nest."But three nights with no word at all?I know today I'd be on the phone Sunday morning trying to find out if he was in trouble, or dead.